


New Pets

by Accidental_Ducky



Series: Dumb Luck [1]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies), James Bond - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alec lives and is still 008, James has a daughter, James' Daughter Wants a Fish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 09:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9485648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accidental_Ducky/pseuds/Accidental_Ducky
Summary: In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t James’ best decision to send his daughter to a pet shop with only Alec for supervision.Or in which James is exhausted after a mission gone wrong and his daughter is an impatient little shit that has her uncle Alec wrapped around her little finger.





	

After a mission gone completely wrong and a quick run to the hospital, all James wanted to do was crash in his bed and not move for a week or two. Unfortunately, one of the worst things about being an MI6 agent and having a daughter is the conflicting sleep schedules; where James was just crawling into bed, Gwen was getting up.

He had just closed his eyes when he felt the tell-tale signs of a certain five-year-old wriggling her way up onto his bed and then settling herself on his stomach. All he could really process at that moment in time was how thankful he was that she careful not to touch his bandaged arm. It was just a graze, but it still hurt like hell when his muscles flexed against the stitches.

"You awake, Daddy?"

"No," he mumbles, good arm under his head and sore one resting on her back to keep her from sliding off," I'm sound asleep, Monkey." He can feel it as she leans forward, her weight shifting and then a pair of determined fingers were prying one of his eyes open. Her dark hair was knotted from sleep and her nightgown was stained with chocolate from the night before when Alec was babysitting.

"You look like crap." He snorts, rolling so that Gwen was on the bed and he could tickle her without worrying about tearing his stitches. "Daddy," she giggles, trying to roll away from him and swatting at his arm," that's cheating! You're a dirty cheater!"

"And _you_ are a little terror," James returns with a smile. He may be exhausted and ready to drop, but he'd be damned if he did it when his daughter was unsupervised. "What are you even doing up so early?" Gwen manages to get out from under his hand and sits up on her knees, using both hands to push her hair off her face.

"We're getting a fishy today, 'member?" He has to pause and think for a minute before remembering the promise he'd made the previous morning. It was the only way he'd been able to get out the door, promising to take her to the nearby pet shop for a fish she could take care of when he was gone. Now he just wished he'd promised to lounge on the couch and watch cartoons instead. "You forgot!"

"Did not."

"Did so! You forgot all about my fishy, Daddy!" He sighs, running a hand over his face to fight back sleep. It was getting progressively harder to focus on her when all his brain wanted to do was shut down for at least six hours.

"Look, Monkey, let me sleep for a little while and I'll take you to the shop when I wake up." She purses her lips and gives him a look that's every inch the look her mother had mastered, it meant he wasn't getting out of an early morning shopping trip without a damn good reason. For added effect, she crosses her arms and raises both her brows just like Q does whenever James screws up. "Or I could make a call and have someone take you there?"

"That's a good answer, Daddy."

"Yeah, I think so, too." With a grunt, he forces himself out of bed and over to the jeans he'd kicked off less than five minutes ago. He digs his phone out and hits the first number in his contacts, pressing it to his ear as he waited for the person on the other end to pick up. It was three rings later when he heard the faint click and then a voice.

"I just left," Alec growls down the line.

"And I've just got in, but that doesn't matter to Gwen."

"What's wrong with her?" He sounded more alert now, ever at the ready when it came to the little girl that had wiggled her way into his heart. Until five years ago, James had always thought his friend hated children of any kind, but then Gwen was dropped off on James' doorstep and Alec was the first to volunteer for diaper duty.

"Nothing, I just made her a promise yesterday and I can't possibly fulfill it myself this early. You know how impatient she is."

"Yes," Alec replies dryly," I wonder where she got that from." James just arches a brow and presses his lips together, holding up a finger when Gwen opens her mouth. It was the international gesture of _hold on a damn second_ and James took advantage of it often. "Alright, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thank you, Alec."

"Thank me later with a glass of scotch." Smiling a little, James hangs up the phone and drops it back to the floor before scooping Gwen up in his arms. She lets out a delighted squeal at the unexpected motion, allowing James to cart her through the flat to the living room. Before she came along, his home had been immaculately clean and barely looked lived in, but now there were dollies strewn all over the floor and the random Powerpuff Girls stickers stuck to his couch and slippers.

"Sit tight and I'll get you some clothes for the day."

"Can I watch cartoons," she asks with that damnably charming smile. She got it from him and it never failed to get her exactly what she wanted, the spoiled brat. But he used the same smile to get what he wanted, so how could he fault her for learning by example?

"Of course, Monkey." He could hear the sounds of Rugrats playing as he moves into her room, navigating around the toys and books until he was at her closet. Unlike the rest of her room, Gwen's closet was perfectly in order with the best clothes money could buy; Eve and M often took turns buying new clothes when Gwen needed them. He quickly grabs a pair of tights and a Mickey Mouse top for her to wear before getting a clean pair of panties and some socks from her dresser.

When he got back into the living room, Gwen was already curled up in her spot with a handful of Tootsie Rolls and a cup of milk. "No jeans?"

"No jeans." She nods with a pleased smile, setting her candy down and taking her clothes from him so she could get dressed. Despite her age, she was getting better at dressing herself, though there were still the rare moments when she puts her underwear on backwards. Leaving her to it, James makes himself comfortable on the couch, meaning to only close his eyes for a second.

The next time he opens his eyes, the sun is high in the sky and his daughter is standing in front of him with a little puppy in her arms. It was an Australian Sheppard and it just so happened to be missing a few crucial things that fish need to survive, like gills and fins. He turns his attention to the blond man raiding the liquor cabinet, clearing his throat to get Alec's attention. The other man straightens immediately, whacking his head on one of the shelves and blushing a bright red when he meets James' gaze.

"Oh," he starts nervously, pulling on his tie," you're awake."

"Daddy, look," Gwen shouts, scrambling up onto the couch and setting the puppy in James' lap. It was tiny right now, a ball of black fluff with big brown eyes that made it look completely innocent. James didn't like it. "Uncle Alec got me a pretty puppy! His name is Fishy."

"She gave the smile, James! How could I say no to the smile?"

In hindsight, maybe it wasn't James' best decision to send his daughter to a pet shop with only Alec for supervision.


End file.
